


Bleeding Love

by have-a-little-laith (LWritesx)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Asexual Pidge | Katie Holt, Attempt at Humor, BAMF Allura (Voltron), Bilingual Lance (Voltron), Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Blood Drinking, Blood and Gore, Bonding, Bottom Lance (Voltron), Boys In Love, Cuban Lance (Voltron), Drama & Romance, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, Falling In Love, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Forced Bonding, Gay Keith (Voltron), Humor, Hunk & Lance (Voltron) Friendship, Hunk & Pidge | Katie Holt Friendship, Hunters & Hunting, Insecure Lance (Voltron), Interspecies Relationship(s), Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Keith/Lance (Voltron) Angst, Loss of Parent(s), Made For Each Other, Mates, Mating, Mating Bites, Multi, Not Beta Read, Not Suitable/Safe For Work, Oblivious Lance (Voltron), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other: See Story Notes, POV Alternating, Past Allura/Lotor (Voltron), Past Relationship(s), Pidge | Katie Holt is Savage, Protective Shiro (Voltron), Romance, Vampire Hunters, Vampire Keith (Voltron), Vampire Shiro (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-28
Updated: 2018-11-15
Packaged: 2019-07-04 01:23:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15830856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LWritesx/pseuds/have-a-little-laith
Summary: you cut me open and ikeep bleeding, keep, keep, keep bleeding love.In a world where the supernatural roam freely among oblivious humans, it is up to a special group of hunters, the Order of the Paladins of Voltron, often called the Paladins, to maintain order and peace in society.Every thousand years or so, a vampire emerges from the shadows. This vampire is often called the Chosen one, and they are destined to take control of the vampires. They are granted more powers and abilities than your average vampire, among other things, making them the most dangerous and powerful vampire alive (or.... undead).And in order to maintain peace with the vampires, and to defeat the evil witch-vampire hybrid Haggar, it has been agreed that one hunter is to be mated to the Chosen One, each hunter from a different family for every new Chosen One. And this time, this time, the Selected is twenty year old hunter in training, Lance McClain.





	1. A Moment Like This

**Author's Note:**

> THE VAMPIRES. 
> 
> Burning/dusting in the sun: myth. Bad reactions to garlic/crucifixes: myth. Sleeping in coffins: myth.
> 
> To turn, one must first consume vampire blood, and die with the vampire's blood in their veins. The body then goes into a state of reanimation, which takes mere seconds, and determines whether the human survives the Turning. (The vamp who turned the human now becomes a "sire" if the process works). Alternatively, if a vampire were to bite and drain a human, ultimately killing them, and then forcing their blood down, this could also work as a method for Turning. However, this method is pretty intimate, so vampires and humans who are paired mates/potentially paired mates use method as it is more intimate, and it strengthens the mating bond as the human relinquishes their lives into the hands of their significant other. [Thace turned Ulaz this way]. With both turning methods, should the Turning work, the new vampire's first feeding happens as soon as the human "returns" from the dead. The sire now becomes connected by a bond to the newly turned vampire. Sires and Turned who have strong connections often become potential mates. If they do become mates in the future, they are known as Bondeds. Children who are turned age as if they weren't turned at all, but stop aging in their 20's (25 for the latest). In the case of Mates/Bonded: the mark: two fang marks from puncture wounds on the side of the neck, since Bondeds usually feed from each or, or one from the other. Vampires get real pissy easily if someone interferes with their mate, so the bond mark is a clue to back the fuck off.

Thace

Life is made up of moments, and these moments can happen so quickly that if you blink it you'll miss. Like a baby's first smile and laugh, or a baby's first step, or hearing your name get called to accept your high school diploma, or your college degree, or missing the perfect opportunity to ask your crush to the upcoming dance, or the chance to see your daughter enter the chapel in a stunning white gown on her wedding day, or the chance to see your son blink back tears as he sees his significant other on the opposite side of the aisle. Some people wait a lifetime to have moments like this, but it never comes.

Thace never really believed in neither moments nor miracles. His boyfriend broke up with him the night that Thace was going to propose. Thace was left for dead by his half-brother, Sendak, after he'd stabbed him through the gut. Sendak stole his inheritance and fled the country, leaving him with nothing after he became tied to some random stranger, who couldn't resist almost draining him dry, then turned him, at age twenty-six. So, he's had really shitty luck throughout his life.

But that belief changes when the General Hospital of Arus County calls him up and tells him that he's listed as the emergency contact for Sendak, who's fatally injured from a three-way car crash.

It changes when he meets Dr. Ulaz Carter, a doctor in the E.R., with skin as dark and smooth as chocolate, and piercing evergreen eyes.

It changes when he appears in Sendak's room and the heart monitors almost flat line for a minute because Sendak has always assumed that Thace is dead. 

It changes when Ulaz agrees to go out on a date with him, after a long game of cat-and-mouse, Ulaz dancing around Thace.

It changes when Ulaz convinces him to forgive his estranged but healthy brother.

It changes when Ulaz keeps seeing him, even after Thace tells him that he's a vampire.

And it blossoms into something further and unconditional, something _deeper_ , in the future.

Growing up, Thace had learned that the Greeks had seven types of love. At first, Thace might have described his relationship with Ulaz as _ludus_ ; a new, playful, emotional type of love, flirting, dancing around each other, establishing a relationship. A few years later, he might have called it _pragma_ , an enduring love that has evolved from _ludus_ , a love that has aged and developed over time. But now, Thace might call it _agape_ ; the highest, purest form of love in existence. It's a selfless love. A spiritual, unconditional love that's bigger than themselves. The purest form of love that's free from desire and expectation, a love that embraces all flaws and shortcomings.

And it's always there between them.

When Sendak passes away, Ulaz is there by his side, comforting him, despite the fact that he does not like to be associated with the families of any of his deceased patients.

When Thace takes the knee and asks Ulaz to take that step, to marry him, and he agrees without hesitation, knowing all the risks and consequences. 

When they hide from the eyes of a scornful society and a Priest secretly weds them, witnessed by their closest friends and family. 

When on their wedding night, Ulaz encourages Thace to feed from him, to mark him, to bond with him. And Thace, with tears in his eyes, takes his time as he does so whispering sweet nothings into his ear.

When on their tenth wedding anniversary, Thace turns Ulaz, promises of loving him forever escaping his lips.

When they buy their first and only home, and it's paid for equally, by them both, and they make love for the first time in the bedroom that's finally theirs, instead of a cramped, two-room apartment.

When Ulaz loses his mother to cancer, new and rare, therefore incurable, Thace is there, comforting him, giving him his space, but still there in a show of silent comfort and reassurance.

When by their tenth anniversary, they can afford to break down their two-floor home and turn it into something much larger and permanent. 

When on their fifteenth wedding anniversary, they finally adopt the little ten-year-old boy they've taken a liking to from the orphanage, who was turned out of guilt when a Galra ran his family's car off the Arus County Bridge, drowning them all. His parents were drained dry before the Galra regained its control, and then it turned the boy.

~~Princess Allura and her Paladins took care of the said Galra not too long after, though.~~

When Thace looks into the haunting violet eyes of his new son, Keith, and sees the hidden power glinting behind them.

When Ulaz loses his only sibling, the last tie to his human life, his husband and his son is there to comfort him. He's not himself for a while, but Thace knows the grieving process. Keith relates to him better. Keith somehow manages to bring Ulaz back, and Thace's chest warms at the sight of Ulaz asleep in their bed, spooning a tiny Keith securely in his arms. The smile doesn't leave his face as he slides under the sheets, embracing his family.

When Keith presents as the Chosen One almost a year later, Ulaz has never known that pride and joy of being a parent can be such a sweet, _sweet_ feeling.

When their marriage is finally, _finally_ recognized as being legal and valid, and they can be who they are, a loving couple with a son, out in the open without fear of reprimand, or without fear of being judged, sneered at, scorned, and Thace weeps with joy and happiness, and Ulaz is speechless. 

When Thace and Ulaz make the arrangements for their son to be mated to one of the children of the remaining Paladins of Voltron, a boy a year younger than Keith. All of the other Paladins were either childless or deceased, and Princess Allura and the McClains were willing to go through with the discussions if only to keep the new, delicate peace that had emerged from years of war with each other. 

When Thace closes his eyes, and maps out the future that he has planned for his young Keith.

And even though he still says that Miracles are a hoax, he won't admit how damned happy he is that his entire life turns out filled with them; miracle after miracle, moment after moment.


	2. Walls Could Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>  
> 
> _and I'm thinking damn if these walls could talk,_  
>  _well they'd be like,_  
>  _shit is crazy, right?_  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Altean Society.
> 
> The Altean Society has been a secret part of the Supernatural World for as long as time itself has existed. It is believed that the first Altean was a village leader who gained the power of Sight when he prayed to the Angels to help him find what was killing off his villagers. The prayers led him to a silver lake, and when he drank the water, it gave him sight beyond the Veil between Reality and the Supernatural.
> 
> However, it was "officially" given a Headquarters by King Greggor the Infirm in the year 1692 to provide a place of refuge for witches who were being pursued at the time. The purpose of the Altean Society is to protect and maintain order in the Supernatural World. The Paladins are a circle of elite and outstanding families of Alteans who have achieved beyond their work's calling, and as such, are in charge of arresting rouge creatures, especially those who call themselves Galra and trying them for their crimes. They provide refuge for all creatures who are at risk of exposure, and they maintain diplomacy between various groups.
> 
> A thousand years ago, after the fall of the last Chosen One, there was an uprising, in which there were attacks on the Alteans, causing a mass massacre of almost the entire society. King Alfor was murdered, and his daughter, Princess Allura, was put to cryogenic sleep.
> 
> Today, there is peace once more and all the Altean and Paladin families that were in hiding are slowly coming out of the shadows...

     

    _ LANCE_

     "Is everything okay, Lance?" Allura asks the boy sitting next to her, eyeing him as he pokes his food around, "You seem to be more out of it than usual."

      Blue eyes snap to focus on her. She winces when she sees the fire burning in his eyes, "I'm still mad at you."

     "I know," Allura soothes, "But we need to keep the diplomacy within the groups. And that includes doing the things we don't like, or don't want to do."

     "Forcing me to be Bondeds with the Chosen One is probably number one on the list of things I don't want to do, to be very honest," Lance snarks.

     "Lance," Hunk gently shoves him, giving a silent warning.

     "Fine," Lance sulks.

     "But Hunk's a werewolf, and you both are best friends," Allura says, confused, "What's so different about Keith?"

      Allura enunciates his name so that Lance would stop saying, 'Chosen One' in that snippy voice. 

     "Vampires are parasites, Allura," Lance snaps, "Feeding off of their mates, taking blood, that's unnatural. Vampires are the whole reason Uncle Alfor is dead, and I wish that they all ceased to exist."

      "Lance," Allura's enigmatic iris-blue eyes narrow at him, "You know that we shouldn't be prejudiced against certain groups. And as much as I would like to blame the vampires for my father's death, it was not their doing. You know that. I've made peace with that."

     "Still," Lance gripes, "Are they even sure this dude is like, _the_ Chosen One? He's pretty stereotypical if you ask me. Pale, emo guy who broods in the back of the class and looks like he's never seen the sun a day in his life? If that doesn't give off real _Edward Cullen_ vibes, then my vampire radar must be broken."

     "You've only seen him once for today. You know what they say about assuming things," Allura snorts.

     "And he has a mullet, Allura! A God-honest mullet! In this day and age! Who even has mullets anymore?!" Lance rants on.

     "It's not a mullet," A wry, but velvety, deep masculine voice says, causing him to jump in his seat, and lo and behold, it's the mullet-headed vampire, standing awkwardly next to Lance's chair. 

     "Jesus!" Lance squeals, placing his hand on his chest, where his heart is beating rapidly, "Don't do that!"

     "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you," he winces as he apologizes, and for some reason, Lance wants to melt on the spot. It wasn't fair. Keith's voice alone was a dangerous weapon. Lance hates it.

     "Thace and Ulaz have asked that I bring you home this afternoon. I believe that your father would be waiting for you at the house," Keith says.

     "Oh, um," Lance isn't quite sure what to say. If the roles were reversed, he wouldn't have done the same.

     "Sure. My last class ends at three thirty. I can meet you outside the Admin office, if you want," Lance gives a hesitant smile.

     "That works," Keith nods, and adds after a brief pause, "Enjoy your class.

     "Aww," Allura coos, once Keith's out of the cafeteria, out of earshot, "Look at that. He's trying to get to know you."

      Lance scoffs, "Yeah, right. I'm sure it's like he said; his dads wanted him to bring me over. They're probably still discussing stuff about the whole... arrangement."

     "In my opinion," Hunk says, "I think you should just go to Physics and pay attention to your lecture with Dr. Coran over with. Deal with all that stuff later."

     "You're right, buddy," Lance sighs and appreciates when Hunk gently pats him on the back.

     "I've got your back," Hunk smiles.

      It's an important phrase between the two boys, one Lance appreciates. He said it to Hunk when they first met when Hunk was just about to be jumped by the two half-Galra in the alley. Hunk said it to Lance when he was about to go on trial for the murder of a young werewolf, around four years old (Lance never laid a finger on her, it was all the Galra). And since then, it became their thing. They have plans to get matching tattoos next month when Lance turns 21.

      Lance smiles at them both, kisses Allura's cheek as he gets up, and picks up his backpack and tray. He places the tray back and heads to room 10, noting that is was the first time he's ever this early to Dr. Coran's class.

  ◇◇◇

      It isn't as though he hates Physics, or that he hates his teacher. In fact, it was the quite the opposite. Physics always came pretty easy to him, and Dr. Coran Wimbleton-Smythe is easily one of the best teachers and most knowledgeable that he's ever had. The problem is that Dr. Coran is easily distracted and drones on about topics that were sometimes absolutely useless to them.

      As the lecture goes on, Lance diligently takes notes, doodling silly little cartoons in his margins when Dr. Coran goes off-topic. Before Lance realizes it, it's three thirty and class is dismissed. He puts away his material, making sure he has his study guide; he couldn't afford to pay $250 for another one. Then he makes his way to the Admin building, where the mulleted Chosen One is waiting for him.

     "Hey," Keith greets, awkwardly. 

      Lance spots Allura at the top of the staircase, going to the library. She gives him a thumbs up and smiles, to which he responds with an eye roll and the one-finger salute

     "How was your lecture?" Keith breaks the tension by asking.

     "It was fine," Lance responds.

     "Uh, my car's this way," Keith points in the direction of the student parking lot, and Lance follows. Keith comes to a stop in front of a dark cherry-red two-door convertible coupé. More specifically, it's a Mercedes Benz SLC 43 Roadster, which happens to be one of the latest models in that line.

      Actual tears spring into Lance's eyes as he takes in the sleek smoothness of the paint job, what looks to be a leather interior and the overall beauty of the machine. 

     "Dude, you just leave this parked here?!" Lance demands, "Do you know how much a vehicle like this costs?!"

     "Yes, I'm very much aware of how much this costs. But, everyone knows better than to fuck with my stuff," Keith rolls his eyes at Lance, "Get in."

      That much was true; he's heard the rumors about Keith.

◇◇◇

      The drive to the Carter-Marmora house is only an hour away from their college campus, so it makes sense that Keith would rather be at home than renting some crappy apartment. Lance, on the other hand, lives several hours away from campus, so he has to rent. He doesn't enjoy it though, he prefers to be in the comfort of his own home with his family, but he grew to understand that you can't change certain circumstances.

     "Would you prefer it if I took the top down?" Keith asks, pointing to the roof of the car.

      Feeling bashful, Lance just bites his lip and nods, as Keith presses a button on the console. Keith then whips out a pair of aviators and places them over his eyes, covering them from the sun. The smooth action is incredibly hot, something which Lance realizes he should not be thinking. The radio blasts top billboard songs, and Lance also realizes that Keith's playing them for his benefit, as pop doesn't really seem to be his type of genre. Which makes Lance curious, and he knows that music is always a safe topic to use in conversation.

     "What's your favorite type of music?" Lance asks, wanting to satisfy his curiosity, as well as break the once again awkward tension.

     "I like alternative and rock," Keith shrugs, hands keeping a firm grip on the steering wheel, "But I'm partial to rap, acoustics and some EDM."

      Lance gapes. The Chosen One likes rap?

      He doesn't realize that he's said it out loud, but he wants to facepalm when he sees Keith's frown.

     "My name is Keith," he mutters.

     "Oh, I know," Lance says calmly, rolling his eyes, "But it's easier to remember that you're a bloodsucking vampire when I call you the Chosen One." 

     "Wow, derogatory much?" Keith snaps, "Aren't Alteans supposed to be a neutral party, or something?"

      Lance is well-aware that Keith can kill him, or worse, make him walk in the stinging afternoon sun to the Carter-Marmora home, but at this point, he's too riled up to care.

     "How do you expect me to be neutral towards the species that almost killed out my entire society?" Lance snaps, equally as heated.

     "That's not true and you know it!" Keith snarls at Lance, "You can't blame the vampires for shit that Haggar, Zarkon and the Galra did."

     "You don't understand," Lance snaps, scowling, "And I didn't expect you to. But you of all of people should know what kind of influence Zarkon had over the vampires."

     "Zarkon _let_ himself be controlled by Haggar," Keith says, referencing the last Chosen One, "Then the Alteans murdered him. If your people is as innocent as you believe, then they should have known that murdering the Chosen One was basically declaring war on the Vampires."

      The rest of the ride is quiet. Keith has nothing more to say, and Lance does not want to cause any more tension.

◇◇◇

      It's one of the more quiet areas of Arus. There is no traffic, and it's not too far from the city. The wind whispering through the forest is crisp and fresh, and the road is wide enough to accommodate two or three cars, even though there are several narrow, hairpin curves.

      Lucious green trees serve as canopies for smaller, more delicate flora that blooms at the bottom of the forested hills. At the base of one of the hills is Balmera Beach, one of the few hot-spots that Garrison students ditch class to go to.

      Lance can see some booths set up, selling various things, from bath suits to cold beers. He knows Balmera can get a little loud on the weekends but on a day like today-- a Wednesday, it's almost dead, save for the few tourists who are sight seeing.

      Lance guesses that some noise is a small price to pay to live in an area as nice as this, but when Keith takes a left instead of continuing straight ahead, and ends up on the other side of the beach, out of sight, out of hearing distance, Lance realizes that he probably doesn't have a noise problem, either.

      Keith pulls up in front of a tall, wrought iron gate. He presses the button on the intercom that's on the ten feet high, cream wall that seems to serve as a fence around the property line and says, "Kolivan, it's me." 

      The gate automatically starts to roll open, and Keith drives up the wide, lengthy but gorgeous cobblestone driveway. It's circular in shape, and leads to the doorway of a massive, grand.... well, house doesn't begin to cover it.

      The house is more like an estate. There is a fountain in the middle of the court-yard like driveway, surrounded by a small circle of grass. It looks sizeable enough for two cars to comfortably fit. The main house is four floors, and there's a multi-car garage at the side that looks big enough to hold around five cars.

      A small, two storey structure, circular roof included, is at the other side of the house. Colossal baluster columns connect the second floor balcony to the first floor porch, where a comfortable-looking swing set is set up next to the large, wrought iron door.

      It looks expensive but well put away, so Lance assumes that the owners hire workers to upkeep the land.There's no way three men alone could manage a house of this size alone. He's never actually been to Keith's house, but this is unreal, and Lance can't help but gape.

      Keith parks outside the garage, and they both exit the car. They walk directly into the wide, open foyer. Lance closes his eyes for a second as he takes in the delicious bite of the air conditioning. He then inspects his surroundings, and he notes that he floor is tiled with marble and there are two sets of staircases secured by a contrasting, black, wrought iron railing in an upside down 'u' shape that leads to the second floor.

      Keith takes Lance's jacket and hangs it in a tiny closet next to the stairs. At the side of the closet is a small hallway that leads to two rooms on both the left and right side of the house.

      And, at the back of the room, Lance sees cream chairs and small brown fixtures on laminate flooring. He assumes that's the dining room, because there's sunshine peeking through a sliding glass door that leads into the backyard.

     "Thace! Ulaz!" Keith shouts, "We're home."

     "In my office!" A deep baritone voice, a voice that's deeper and richer than Keith's, if that's even possible, says.

     "Would you like anything to eat or drink before I take you upstairs?" It's not asked in a polite manner, but rather in one of being a good host, but meh. Lance can handle this.

     "I'm fine," he says softly, ascending the staircase after Keith.

◇◇◇

      When they walk down the silent hallway, Keith comes to a sudden halt and Lance almost bumps into him.

     "Dude," Lance mumbles, but it's cut off when he hears a joyful, _"Mrow! Mrow!"_ and brisk plitter-platter of paws racing down the corridor.

     "Azula!" Lance exclaims, dropping to one knee and embracing the Persian kitten as she bounces into his arms.

      She's a grey and white fluffy ball of soft fur, with blue eyes. Lance had thought her hearing would have been impaired because of her eye colour, but miraculously, she was just fine.

     "What are you doing here, _mi amor_?" he asks.

      She purrs heavily as Lance picks her up and runs a hand through her thick coat, nuzzling closer to him. When she has her fill of Lance love, she tilts her head back and eyes Keith curiously.

     " _Mrow_ ," she goes, piercing eyes never leaving his face.

     "Azula, that's Keith. Stop looking at him like that," Lance giggles.

      "Why is there a... cat in the house?" Keith asks, wrinkling his nose ~~adorably~~.

      "Keith, this is Azula, the love of my life. I would kill everyone and then myself for her," Lance says, looking at Azula with a soft, loving expression, the literal heart-eyes emoji, "My parents must be here, probably finishing up some discussion with yours."

      Keith leads him to the third door on the right, and like Lance said earlier, his parents and older sister, Veroníca, together with her _stupid_ fiancé, James, are there with Keith's parents.

      Lance loathes James, if that isn't clear, but that's a story for another time.

     " _Mamá, Papá,_ " Lance says, taking in the serious looks on their faces, " _¿Qué esta pasando?_ "

      Veroníca isn't meeting his eyes. His father is silent on the other side of the table. James is staring steadily at him.

      Whatever they're going to say is _bad._

      There'sa short, pregnant pause between them.

     "Lancito," his mother looks at him and softly says, after the silence grows to be top much, "It's been decided that you'll stay here, with Keith, Thace and Ulaz, for the rest of your schooling and the bonding ceremony."

      Lance's world stops for a solid minute. He grips Azula tighter in his grasp and the Persian whines softly as she picks up her human's distress.

     "What the fu--" Lance is cut off by Keith's palm, which he bites down on. Nothing happens, so he licks it. 

      Keith releases him with a nasty swear.

     "Who the _fuck_ authorised this decision?!" Lance demands.

     "Lance," one of Keith's fathers, with pale skin and black hair like Keith himself, says in a placating tone, "You can stay here without having to pay anything. You'll be comfortable, you won't have rent, and you'll get the chance to get to know Keith. Besides, after the bonding, it's not as if you'll be around your family as regularly."

     "You don't understand!" Lance cries out, "I didn't ask for this! You're asking me to give up the things that worth the world to me! I'll be giving up my freedom, who I am, my humanity, my family, everything I love and hold dear.... Why can't any of you understand that I'm not willing to do that?!"

     "Why can't you just man the hell up and do it, Lance?!" Griffin stands up, looking at Lance with a glare more dangerous than a thousand suns, "Yeah, sure, this isn't the most ideal situation, but we don't have another option! How are we supposed to keep peace?"

     "Sit down, buttercup," Lance snarls, "Stop yelling. Walls could talk. The only reason why you're here is because you're marrying my sister. Therefore, your opinion is invalid."

     "Lance!" Veroníca gasps, obviously affected by his words, "That's uncalled for!"

     "So, you're on his side, now." Lance scowls.

      Veroníca looks ready to argue, but a louder,  _feared_ voice pipes up. Azula settles into Veronica's lap as he senses her discomfort.

     "Lancito," he looks down at his mother, who's stepped into the middle of himself and James.

      Her eyes are a soft blue, the same exact shade as his, but tinged with age, worry and sorrow.

     "Two weeks, mijo," she says, "Two weeks with them.. if you can't manage it, them we'll take you home. Those are my terms. I just want you to be safe and comfortable, _mi cielo._ "

      Lance releases a breath, "You will?"

     " _Sí_ ," his mom nods in assent, hugging him closely. 

     "So I'm to assume that nobody wants my opinion on this?" Keith demands heatedly, glaring at his own parents, "Haven't you two ever considered that maybe I don't want this too?!"

      Keith storms out the door, leaving the now dead-silent room.

     "We'll go and talk to him," Keith's other father, who Lance guesses is Ulaz, grabs Thace hand and ushers him out the door.

      Lance is left in the room with his parents, sister and the parasite infesting his family.

     "We bought some of your things over," his father says calmly, "I know you probably don't want to hear this, lad, but you're doing what's best for your people. And that's an honour that only you hold."

      And as his father claps him on the shoulder, Lance can see the tears that line the old Scot's eyes. He may be loosing a family, but his parents are loosing a son. The Alteans are placing this burden on him, they're trusting _him_ to maintain the peace between their societies, to bridge the gap between their estranged partnership, they're trusting him to be their protector, their buffer.

      Lance takes a deep breath, and squares his shoulder as he prepares to take on this immeasurable responsibility. He can only hope that Keith eventually can be on board with it too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey my Paladudes! I'm sorry this is late, but law school is kicking my ass, haha. My only free day during the week is Wednesday, so one chapter usually takes two Wednesdays to complete, given my work load. So I'll try to rotate and update one of my long stories every second Wednesday, so look out for that. This week it's been this, so the next two Wednesdays, I'll be updating 'To Love A Galra.'
> 
> I'm also trying out a new writing style, So please leave me feedback on anything, whether you find that the formatting was weird, or whether there was too much descriptions. It'll be appreciated. Also, would you guys like me to leave pics of the mansion I used as inspo in the notes if that'll make visualising easier? Thanks! 
> 
> Also, T-minus 2 hours till my 19th birthday eep! ♡


	3. Burn It Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>   
>  _when you fall, i'll take my turn_   
>  _and fan the flame_   
>  _as your blazes burn._   
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all have heard of Kidge being bff's, y'all have heard of Kallura being bff's but I bet yain't ever heard of Kay being bff's.
> 
> Supernatural notes would only be in Lance's pov chapter, cause he's Altean, so it'll be like one of those handbooks to the spn/guide book thingies.
> 
> CHAPTER WARNING: VERY STRONG SWEARING/USE OF SWEAR WORDS.

_KEITH_

      Keith flops down onto his soft, red sheets in a _very_ ungraceful manner. He withdraws his phone from his pocket and calls the first number he sees. The dial tone rings twice before the person on the other side answers.

     "Fucking kill me now," he snipes into the speaker.

      The girl bursts out laughing on the other side.

     "Still no luck with the whole Bondeds thing, huh?" Shayla, affectionately called Shay, greets warmly, a complete contrast to the ice in Keith's voice, "I can send Rax over to do the job."

     "Yes please," Keith snarks, "I'll be expecting him at midnight."

     "So~" Shay drawls, after a comfortable pause, "Give me the deets. What's his name? Is he cute? What's his major?"

     "His name is Lance," Keith sighs, conjuring a mental image of the boy, who's two literally two doors away from him, "Uh, I guess you'd say he's kinda cute? He's part Latino; he's got dark skin, brown hair, and blue eyes. Oh, and he's bilingual. That's all I know."

     "Keith, that's like, the vaguest description I could've gotten," Shay giggles.

     "Yeah, well, it would have gone better if he hadn't been poking arguments with me the whole time," Keith mumbles, "He says that I have a mullet. A mullet, Shay! David Bowie and Billy Ray Cyrus had mullets, not me!"

     "It's not as though it's your fault that your hair naturally waves like that," Shay says, humoring him, "You sound like you need a stress reliever."

      Keith snorts, the only person he needs a stress reliever from right now is a specific part-Latino named Lance. 

     "Rules?" Shay offers, "Pidget and I planned to take our relaxing hour at seven, you can join. Matt and Shiro are planning to join too."

     "Yes," Keith smiles, happy that he's getting a chance to game with his friends, since they rarely see each other these days, "I'm going for dinner first, then I'll take a shower, then I'll join."

     "Sweet," Shay says, "See ya in a few."

      And the connection between them cuts with a click.

◇◇◇

      Ulaz hands the bowl of mashed potatoes over to Keith. He takes it and piles some onto his plate, and then passes it to Thace, who does the same. It's awkward because Lance, whom Ulaz prepared dinner for in the first place, has been holed up in his room for the past few hours and it doesn't seem as though he's coming down to dinner anytime soon.

     "The poor thing probably had an exhausting enough day as it is already. What were the Alteans thinking, springing something like that on him," Ulaz says, shaking his head, "We probably should just leave him alone. He might want some space."

      Thace nods in agreement, willing to listen to Ulaz because he's better equipped to deal with humans. He empathizes better with them.

     "Keith," Thace says softly, "Are you better?"

      Keith doesn't make eye contact with him as he recalls their conversation from earlier.

◇◇◇

_Keith slams the door and heads into the backyard. He doesn't expect Thace and Ulaz to follow him. A minute of him sulking by himself has passed before the silhouette of a male stops in front of him. It's Thace. He sits next to Keith and dips his foot into the pool._

_"That was some explosion back there, Kid," Thace says, looking at Keith, "Wanna talk about it?"_

_"No," Keith scoffs, "You won't hear me out, anyway."_

_He doesn't even bother telling Thace he's twenty-two, not a kid anymore, but he highly doubts that the taller man would listen to him._

      You'll always be my kid, _Thace would say._

_"Kid, you know Ulaz and I put you above all else, right?" Thace tells him, "You're our son and we love you."_

_They're quiet for a while._

_"I don't want to be Bondeds with Lance, Thace," he says, softly._

_"Why?" Thace asks, and there is no malice, just curiosity._

_"I- I don't," Keith stammers, trying to properly sort his words, "Despite whatever bullshit I may say, I want to meet someone on my own one day, y'know? I wanna meet them on my way to school. I want them to exchange numbers with me after a few weeks of cat and mouse. I want them_ be _just as excited as I would be to talk to them the first time over the phone. I wanna wake up one morning next to them and just think, gosh, Iove this person so, so much. I want the whole goddamn fairy tale. And I'm not gonna get that if you force me to go through with this."_

_"You want to fall in love on your own," Thace concludes, and Keith nods._

_"You know how the last Chosen one bonding ended up. It's my turn now, and I don't wanna end up like Zarkon," Keith says, quietly, "What if I end up just like Zarkon?"_

_"Zarkon played king when it wasn't his right to," Thace says, shrugging, "That's what caused him and Alfor to clash. You're different. You're more of a soldier than a king. Zarkon had his turn, now it's your turn, Keith. It's up to you to fill in the pages of your own story. And you're not defined by anyone or their mistakes before you. You are your own person. Never forget that."_

_"I know that," Keith feels as though there are wild butterflies fluttering madly in his stomach, "I just-- I don't know how--"_

_He can't. He can't get his thoughts into words because there are no words that can articulate what he's thinking, what he's feeling._

_"I get you," Thace takes his hand, and he's soothed by the comforting touch, "Neither I nor Ulaz has gone through what you are going through, but we're always here for you, okay? And I know that you don't want to bond with Lance, but at least give the guy a chance. Who knows what'll happen."_

_Keith leans his head on Thace's shoulder and Thace runs his had through Keith's hair. They stay like this until Ulaz comes to get them._

◇◇◇

     "I should put an extra plate for him," Ulaz's voice jerks him out of his train of thought as he contemplates, and Keith startles.

      He hasn't realized that Thace and Ulaz were talking about Lance.

     "Put it in the fridge," Thace suggests.

     "Yeah, I'll do that. I don't want the food to go to waste," Ulaz almost instinctively walks out of the dining room pecking Thace on the forehead, while Greta and Leah, kitchen staff, assist him with carrying the leftovers, "Keith, you'll help him heat it up if he gets hungry."

     "I'm gonna go up to my room if you guys don't need any more help here," Keith says, "Pidge, Shay, the guys and I are gonna game for a couple hours."

     "No, you can go, Keith," comes Ulaz's muffled response comes from by the sink, "Thace and I have this. Tell them I say hi, and we definitely need to do dinner soon."

     "Sure," Keith pushes his chair neatly back into its space and heads upstairs, hiding his snort when he hears Ulaz saying, "Babe, hurry up and get your lazy ass in the kitchen!"

◇◇◇

     "Pidge, you get Shay and continue to raid!" Keith yells into the headset, "Matt, there's somebody on your tail!"

     "Hold on, I got him," There's a grunt from Shiro and on the screen, the assailant hidden in the bush goes up in flames.

     "There's a care package about to drop," Shay says, "But we shouldn't risk it."

     "Just get to the safe zone and wait there," Shiro tells Shay, "Matt and I will come to pick you up."

     "Keith!" Pidge calls, "On your six!"

     "Thanks, Pidge," Keith's avatar flips around, and yes, there is a bastard creeping toward him slowly, no doubt with the intention of attempting to shoot him. He draws his dual kindjals and takes off, hiding behind a tree for cover. He goes into a crouch and when he gets a clear eye on the target, he pounces. In all of five seconds, the other player is dead.

      Four players remain, and Keith has no doubt that he just killed a member of their Fire Team. If they manage to kill those four, they win the game.

      Sure enough, Shiro and Pidge manage to draw out the remaining team members and after a brief shootout, the winning fanfare begins to play.

      Keith smirks at the level up sound, proud of himself.

     "Good game guys," Shiro says, and he sounds as if he's muffling a yawn, "I really don't wanna go but I have back to back exams this week so... I'll see you guys this weekend?"

     "Yeah," Pidge says, "Make sure Matt doesn't forget to pick up his weekend bag again."

     "Hey!" Matt whines.

     "I'll pick it up before we leave campus," Shiro says.

     "I can hear your eye roll, Shiro," Shay laughs.

     "I'll bet you can," Shiro snarks, good-naturedly, "Good night guys. Matt, shut up, we live in the same apartment."

      Pidge bursts out laughing.

     "Night night," she says, "Don't let your boyfriend bite."

      "Aww, really, Pidge?" Shiro groans and Keith laughs, "I shouldn't have told you."

     "Shut up, you know I would have found out eventually," she snarks, "Matt would have squealed and you know it."

     "Pidge!" Matt protests.

     "Okay, okay, fine," Shiro mutters, "Good night,  _Katie-Kat_."

      Both Shiro and Matt's laughter can be heard through Matt's mic as Pidge gives an almighty screech.

      Keith can't help his giggles, either. When Pidge was younger, she wanted to be called Katie-Kat. It was, "One of the most embarrassing phases of my life and if you ever bring it up again, I'll chop your balls off."

     " _Matthew Quincy Holt, I swear to fucking God you're a dead man when you come home!!_ " she shrieks, and Matt is still pissing himself with laughter.

     "Yeah, sure. Watch your language, _Katie-Kat_ ," Matt says between snorts, and Keith hears a _thwack_.

     "Alright, alright, night guys," He says, and Keith can hear his pout, "Shiro's gone into grumpy cat mode. I should go before he takes the lights off on me _again_."

      After Matt signs off, Shay, Pidge and Keith switch over to Skype.

     "So, how's geography going, Shay?" Keith asks.

     "Honestly, it's shit," the girl complains, "I feel as though our teacher barely passed her exams for her own degree. We've resorted to making our study groups and teaching ourselves, to be honest."

     "Yikes," Keith says, and nods at Pidge, "What about Applied Maths and Physics?"

     "It's cool, but, you know," Suddenly shy, she looks down at her hands.

      The thing about Pidge is that she's a prodigy. Anything mathematical, anything scientific, Pidge can find a way to decipher or redo it. She's got a blunt, dark sense of humor that people never seemed to get. She's good at school, but she's not good at making friends her own age.

      Whereas they used their weekend to go clubbing and hooking up, Pidge pigged out eating pizza and playing Mario Kart. Some kids were held back, but Pidge skipped grades because the work at her level never challenged her. They read novels, but Pidge would rather read her textbook.

      Girls her age focused more on makeup and partying and keeping themselves well groomed, but Pidge kept her hair short for it not to entangle while she's working, and she always says, "I'm not going to make myself uncomfortable to impress anybody. What you see is what you get."

      Plus she was the youngest student in her department, which required passing a test that people sometimes failed sometimes three, four, five, six times in a row. 

      It was amazing how well she fit right in with Keith's little crew, though, and that she and Shay got along well enough for them to be roommates. Then again, Shay herself wasn't the picture of innocence.

      Which reminds Keith.

     "Dudes, Ulaz wants to do dinner," Keith tells them.

     "This weekend?" Shay asks.

     "Not sure," Keith frowns, "I'll ask him."

     "Well, let us know," Pidge says, "We won't take Shay home, we'll just come to your house and chill."

     "Mom and dad'll be okay with that," Shay tells him.

      Pidge yawns and Keith can suddenly see the dark bags under her eyes and the lines of stress on her forehead. Keith knew that in addition to her normal amount of school work, she was also constantly practicing her witchcraft, always trying to improve and make her spells more accurate. Which she couldn't, she was so good at her craft already that nothing ever really improved, only her speed and reaction time when casting certain spells. Witchcraft drains energy pretty quickly, too, and since she's always practicing, she's prone to getting tired more easily than the average college student.

     "Hey short stack," he says softly, concern dripping in his tone, "Go to bed. I'll see you on Saturday."

     "In a few," she brings her head to rest on top of Shay's chest.

      Keith laughs when Shay asks, "Comfortable enough for you?"

      And Pidge nods her head.

      Honestly, though, Shay wouldn't have stopped her. Pidge is everybody's younger sister and everybody has a soft spot for the young witch.

      A knock on the door brings Keith out of his conversation with the girls.

     "Keith?" Lance's voice is hoarse and tired, "Can--can I come in?"

     "Oh, no," he widens his eyes as he realizes what's going to happen.

      Shay gets it too, as a large grin crosses her face and she practically hisses in glee, "Oh, fuck yes. Pidgey wake up, we're about to meet Keith's Altean."

     "He's not my Altean," Keith whisper-hisses.

     "Let him in," Pidge says, now alert and wide awake.

     "No," Keith hisses.

     "Keith?" Lance's voice cuts through the door once more.

     "I'm a little occupied," Keith says, "Can you give me a few seconds?"

     "S-sure," Lance stutters.

     "No," Keith says to the still-grinning girls, firmly, and moves to end the Skype call.

     "If you end this call," Pidge says calmly, "I will send Thace and Ulaz every single piece of blackmail I have on you. That includes the real reason behind the suspension."

      Keith freezes. Nobody knows about the real reason behind Keith's suspension except their group.

     "You wouldn't," he says, unsurely.

     "Try me," Pidge smirks.

      And Keith knows that smirk. That's the  patented Pidge  _don't-fuck-with-me_ smirk. He navigates his mouse away from the red button.

     "Come in, Lance," he sighs, suddenly tired.

      The doorknob twists hesitantly, and Lance's enters the room. He quickly takes in his surroundings, and freezes when his sparkling blue eyes catch sight of the girls. His cat, Azula, is nestled comfortably in his arms, and she purrs softly. 

     "My room is a no-cat zone," Keith blurts. 

      No matter how cute Lance is, he does not need cat hair all over his things.

     "No need to be such a killjoy, Keith," Pidge glares (pretty harsly) at him, cooing at the cat, "Oh, he's so adorable! But he has blue eyes, is his hearing alright?"

      Lance looks startled.

     "Oh, uhm," he bites his bottom lip almost shyly, before meeting Pidge's gaze, "She. She's a girl. Her name's Azula. And yeah, her hearing's fine. It was the first thing we checked out."

     "She's sweet," Pidge says, firmly, looking at the cat lovingly, "Shayla, we need to adopt a cat."

     "Pidge," Shay sighs, and Pidge turns to give her puppy eyes.

     "We'll see," Shay concedes.

      And Keith is speechless.

     "So you're Lance, huh," Shay says, looking him up and down.

      He laughs, a tiny thing, "Well, you seem to have me at a disadvantage here. You know who I am, but I can't say the same for me. Are you and Keith--?"

      Keith snorts loudly and Shay bursts into vivacious laughter that lights up her whole face.

     "Honey, the only thing straight about Keith are his eyelashes, and they're not even _that_ straight," Pidge laughs.

     "Pidge!" Keith and Shay scold in unison.

     "I'm Katie, but you can call me Pidge. And she's Shayla. Everyone calls her Shay. Shay, Keith and I have been best friends since like, forever," she continues, paying them no mind.

     "O-oh," Lance says, and Keith can't help but notice the hues of red on both his cheeks.

      Keith also takes note of how she lets Lance call her Pidge. It usually takes a while before she warms up to people enough for this to happen.

_Oh no, she must really like Lance off the bat._

     "You're the first Altean I've actually met," Pidge says conversationally.

     "Really?" Lance asks, and Pidge nods.

     "I'm a dhampir, and Pidge is a witch," Shay informs Lance.

     "A dhampir?" Lance looks shocked, and Keith can understand why.

      Dhampirs are nothing short of an extraordinary phenomenon. They are the offspring of a vampire and a human. Very few vampires could actually reproduce, so dhampirs are pretty rare. When they are of age, they could choose to give up their vampire powers and become human, or retain them and choose to be a vampire. Usually, dhampirs who choose to become human often become rouge vampire hunters.

     "Shay is pretty amazing," Pidge looks at her friend, proudly.

     "Shouldn't you guys be going now? It's still a school day tomorrow," Keith tells them, lightly, when his eyes catch the time.

     "Oh shit, yeah," she says with wide, hazel eyes, following his train of thought.

     "See you on Saturday, Keith," Pidge yawns, "You too, Lance." 

     "Make sure you get eight hours, Pidge," Keith tells her sternly.

     "Okay, dad," she snarks.

     "Good Night, boys," Shay says.

     "Night," Keith returns and he ends the call, the laptop screen going dark for a few seconds.

     "Well, they're nice," Lance whispers, after a pause.

      Keith smiles softly. He doesn't know why a small part of him is glad to hear Lance's approval of the girls.

     "So.." Keith looks at Azula, "What's up?"

      He wants to laugh when he sees two rosy spots bloom on Lances' cheeks once again. He blushes rather easily.

     "Azula is hungry, and I think my parents left some cat food," Lance says, sheepishly.

    "Are you sure it's Azula, not Azula's human that's hungry?" Keith teases, slyly, long, black lashes hooding his gently slanted eyes. 

     "Maybe," Lance allows, smiling hesitantly, colour still terribly bright on his cheeks 

     "C'mon," Keith laughs out loud this time, gesturing to his doorway, "Ulaz left you a plate in the fridge."

◇◇◇

      When they enter the kitchen, Keith immediately goes into the pantry, and there's a bag of cat food on the second shelf. He hands it to Lance and watches Azula's eyes widen in delight when the bowl is placed in front of her.

     "Hey," Lance calls to get Keith's attention as he heats up Lance's food. 

      Keith turns, and sees that he's fiddling with the sleeve of his jacket, looking almost nervous.

     "I'm sorry," Lance mutters lowly, "About the way I acted today. Both in the car and in front of your dad's. It was uncivil of me and you've done nothing but been nice."

      Keith scoffs, shocked.

     "Yeah?" He asks, looking at Lance.

     "Yeah," Lance nods in confirmation, "I'll apologize to your parents in the morning, too."

      Keith waves him off.

     "They know you don't mean it," Keith says, after a beat, "I really don't want this Bondeds thing either, but it looks like we don't have a choice."

     "I know," Lance says in a frustrated tone, but sticks out his hand, "But, this is for a cause that's greater than us. And we aren't quite there on the friends level yet, so... acquaintances?"

      Keith laughs, unabashedly, "Sure."

      Then, they shake hands.

     "Sooo," Lance trails, "Is this bonding? Are _we_ bonding?"

      Keith's laugh grows louder, and turns into a full, belly laugh. He quickly contains himself though, as he knows he's at risk of snorting.

      The sound of the microwave startles them both, and in a split-second decision, Keith decides to stay with Lance and Azula until they finished dinner.

      They were acquaintances now, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kay- Keith and Shay lmao. I've seen so much fics of Shay being this pure innocent bean, so I thought what if she was still the loveable bean, but she was an absolute devil at times. Her dynamic with Keith and Pidge was a bit challenging to flesh out at times, but I had fun with them.
> 
> Hope y'all enjoyed!


	4. Fly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>  
> 
> _And I ain't got no motherf*cking time to spare_  
>  _Cry my eyes out for days upon days_  
>  _Such a heavy burden placed upon me_  
>  _But when you go hard your nay's become yay's.  
> _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Witch Society-
> 
> It is undefined where exactly the practice of witchcraft originated from. Some say it started with the First Peoples as a method of healing, connecting with nature; an everyday lifestyle practice, a method of carrying on tradition and rituals. Others say it began by certain people 'discovering' it and using it for something sinister. Contrary to what people say-- white magic, gray magic, black magic, they're all the same. There is no difference. It depends on the witch, on what they choose to do with their power. Witchcraft came to the US in the early 1300's. In 1692, in Salem, Massachusets, one of the most violent witch hunts ever seen in the US broke out. Nineteen innocent people were murdered, and over two hundred were wrongfully arrested. It sent the witch society into an uproar of panic. They went into hiding. Some left the US. Some committed suicide before they got the chance to be outed. Some began to manufacture potions to suppress their powers, which had horrible side effects and made them loose it.
> 
> It was in those dark times that the Altean Royal Family decided to take it upon themselves to establish safe houses for the witches. Over time, these safe houses were strategically built in each state, no longer just for the witches, but for the entirety of the Supernatural community.
> 
> During the late 1900's, Lady Honerva, one of the leaders of that faction of the community, turned against her fellow witches. She was the mate of Zarkon, the last known Chosen One. She began to delve deeper and deeper into the corrupt side of magic, and in doing so, she herself became corrupted. King Alfor relayed this concern to Zarkon, who brushed him off. Eventually, as is the purpose of the Alteans to maintain order in the Shadow Realms, Alfor had to take matters into his own hands. He executed Honerva. Then, Zarkon declared war, killing Alfor in retaliation. Zarkon brought Honerva back to life by turning her, and they discovered she was with child. She was able to give birth because she was part witch. Her essence give the child enough strenght to saty alive despite all the changes in her body. After the child was born, Honerva had to abandon him because she began to transition; she was too weak to survive, to weak to give him what he needed. Nobody knows what became of the child, only the Alteans. By abandoning him, she lost her last shred of humanity and conscience. She killed Zarkon, to take his power, and became a new hybrid species altogether; a druid. Her followers are often referred to the Galra; a corrupt set of supernatural beings, led by Honerva and her personal entourage of druids. Driuds are almost as rare as damphirs, and are dangerous because they have a very unpredictable nature.
> 
> Her whereabouts are currently unknown, but with the resurgence of Princess Allura, it is expected that she will come out of hiding sooner than expected. It is up to the Alteans to take all necessary precautions to stop her when she does.
> 
> PS. Calling a witch a heretic is the equivalent of using the f-slur or the t-slur. IE, it is a big no no, and very offensive.

_LANCE_

He closes the door of the cherry red Mercedes lightly, careful not to slam it.

"I can tell Allura to come over, right?" Lance asks, just to double check.

"Your friends, and yes, they can come along as they're good with meeting my friends," Keith says, "Just, don't train with anything dangerous to us."

"Gotcha," Lance smiles, brilliantly.

He has one statistics lecture with Professor Olia today, then he's free to leave. Ulaz told him that Kolivan, their head of security, would pick him up at twelve o'clock since Keith has two classes today and wouldn't finish till five.

Allura would join him tomorrow since they've both been lacking in training. Thace was quite enthusiastic about it, even volunteering to lend him them an unused shed.

His class drags on. Olia is straight up boring and she knows it, but she's pretending not to be aware of several students asleep on their desks instead of paying attention and making notes. She gives them an assignment before they're dismissed, and when Lance reaches outside, Allura is waiting for him.

"Ulaz and Thace have invited you guys over tomorrow to train with me," he reports, "Keith also wants you, Hunk and Romelle to meet his friends."

"Oh?" Allura's cheeks flush a bright red at the prospect of meeting new people.

"Also, he's kindly asked that we not use anything dangerous to train with," Lance mumbles, suddenly shy.

He's a bit... guilty asking this since he knows that Alteans are supposed to be well-versed in methods of taking out threats to the Shadow Realm, but this is his.. friend. Keith's his friend now, and he can't bring himself to possess anything that may hurt him. Or his friends. And at the same time, he loves Allura, and he doesn't want to put her in that kind of position.

So he pretends not to see the hesitance in her eyes. 

"Okay, well, depending on the type of people his friends are," she muses, finality in her tone, "Then, we'll see."

"Pass the message onto Hunk and Romelle, will you?" he asks, placing a small smile onto his face.

Honestly, Allura's terms are perfectly fine by him; it wasn't like her to blindly trust someone, and he understands that.

She smiles back and nods, heading to the cafeteria.

◇◇◇ 

Lance isn't a creep. He swears he's not.

He wants to tell that to the people that stare at him in confusion when they walk by as he waits outside Keith's bio class. His phone rests comfortably in his hand, and his reading app is open. Veronica recommended the novel he's been reading, _Crazy Rich Asians_ by Kevin Kwan. It's a feel-good rom-com and he's enjoying it. As far as he recalls, there's going to be a movie based on it releasing soon, so maybe he can ask his friends for a group date.

He's only waiting for Keith because he forgot to take Kolivan's number this morning and has no idea what he looks like, and Lance really doesn't want to look like an idiot by going into the wrong car or something.

After five minutes, several students walk out of the room. Keith's one of the first few to get out, and Lance lays eyes on him, his first thought is: _no boy should be allowed to look this cute._

Whereas this morning Keith wore a black v-neck and skinny jeans, there's now a maroon, hooded jumper pulled over the shirt. There is the Hogwarts insignia printed on the middle and Keith's ravenette locks are pulled together in a stubby ponytail at the nape. It's out of his way, even though his fringe frames his gentle features, and Lance wants to reach out and tuck his hair behind his ear. He just looks so _comfortable_ and _warm_.

"Hi," Lance greets, with sudden shyness.

"Hey," Keith returns, eyes widening in surprise, "I thought you'd be on your way home by now."

Lance explains his predicament with a blush in his face, the flush growing brighter when Keith releases a small laugh at Lance's forgetfulness.

He takes out his phone and dials a number, speaking for a while. After he hangs up, he motions for Lance to follow him. They make their way outside, to where Keith's car is parked.

Next to it is a shiny, black Audi. The windows are tinted pitch black ( _Is that even legal??_ he thinks) and the driver sends down his window. Lance tries not to gape. He's tan and has white-blonde hair that's pulled back into a shoulder-length braid. Lance doesn't know what's sharper; the man's piercing grey-green eyes, his lips that are pursed in an unsmiling line, or his feathery, arched brows. His nose is curved delicately, and there's a long scar extending vertically from his left eyebrow to his cheek.

~~He marks himself down as scared _and_ aroused, Holy Altea. He'd honestly thank this guy for punching him.~~

 "Kolivan, Lance," Keith lazily waves his hand between them as an introduction.

Kolivan nods, and Keith opens the back door for Lance to enter. He slides easily against the leather, evidence that it has been recently polished, and he can smell its faint scent.

"Text me when you get home," Keith says, before shutting the door, and Lance nods.

◇◇◇

The car ride is awkward, to say the least. There are questions that Lance wants to ask, but doesn't, in case Kolivan thinks he's trying to pry.

The other man sees this and takes pity on Lance. 

"You can ask," he says, voice deep and smooth.

"Who are you?" Lance blurts, but realizing how insensitive that sounds, quickly adds, "To Ulaz and Thace?"

To Lance's surprise, and pleasure, Kolivan's lips quirk into the smallest of smiles.

"I'm a friend of Thace's. I'm a ghoul. I operate as the head of the Carter-Marmora family's security, together with a few colleagues. We're called the Blade of Marmora," he explains.

"They need security?" Lance gasps, disbelieving.

"Young master Keith is the Chosen One. As you may imagine, he is always in danger. In fact, I have foiled three attempts on his life so far," Kolivan says, grimly, "People in the Shadow Realm are willing to kill to wield the power that he has."

 "Three? That's... that's," Lance whispers, "Does he know about them?"

Kolivan shakes his head, no.

 Lance sighs, processing this. The rest of the journey to the Carter-Marmora house is quiet, the radio playing upbeat pop music the only disturbance between them.

◇◇◇

"Lance!" Ulaz greets him, enthusiastically from the kitchen, as he closes the door to the house, "How was class?"

"Fine," Lance shrugs, "You're not on call today?"

"Nah. I'm one of the rare, few doctors that manage to get a day off sometimes," Ulaz laughs.

"Oh, then you're lucky," Lance laughs along with him, "Do you need any help in there?"

"Just finishing up some lunch for you. Get changed and then come back to the kitchen," Ulaz says.

Complying, Lance heads up the staircase that leads to his room. He opens a new message thread on his phone and types.

 _ **To:** **count mullet (12:15 PM):**_ _Hey dude, I just got to the house._

Not too long after, his phone pings. He checks the new message, received from Keith.

 _ **From:** **count mullet** **(12:17 PM):**_ _Okay. Thanks for letting me know._

Biting his lip, Lance rapidly types out another response and sends it before he can think twice.

 _ **To:** **count mullet** **(12:18 PM):**_ _:D aww you care! Lol._

Keith takes reply is almost instantaneous.

 _ **From** : **count mullet** **(12:18 PM):**_ _Yes, Lance. Obviously, I care about my friends._

A stupid smile makes its way onto his face, one that he can't seem to get rid of until the second and third messages come in.

 _ **From:** **count mullet** **(12:20 PM):**_ _Being associated with the chosen one has dangerous consequences. You need to be careful._

_**From: count mullet (12:20 PM):** I have to get to class. Talk to you later._

Lance pouts and changes quickly, due to the grumbling of his empty stomach; empty because like the irresponsible boy he is, he hadn't eaten breakfast this morning. After he changed, he pets Azula for a few minutes (self care=kitty love), washes his hands and then back goes downstairs.

When he gets there, Ulaz has already laid out lunch which consists of a plate of Chinese style fried rice, steamed vegetables, and grilled chicken tenders. The aroma fills the air, and his stomach rumbles loudly. Ulaz let's out A soft chuckle, and Lance flushes, embarrassed.

Ulaz gestures for him to sit. Still flushed, Lance does. 

"You must be starving," Ulaz says, voice smooth, "You neglected to eat this morning. Which is totally irresponsible."

"I'm a college student, Ulaz," Lance snorts, "Irresponsible and Procrastination are my middle names."

 Ulaz laughs loudly at that and an unexpected thrill of happiness runs through Lance. Speaking of...

"Hey, Ulaz. That reminds me," he says, scratching the back of his neck, "I never got the chance to apologize to you and Thace for the way I acted a few days ago when my parents told me to stay with you guys. It was rude and disrespectful of me to behave like that."

Ulaz nods, "While I appreciate your apology, Lance, it's unnecessary. You were in shock, so it's understandable. My husband would say the same, as I may or may not have acted the same when he came out as a vampire to me."

"You did?" Lance asks, eyes wide.

Ulaz responds with a small smile.

"Now eat your lunch," Ulaz says, "I'll stay until you finish, then I'll head to my office, as I have some paperwork to finish."

True to his word, Ulaz doesn't leave him by himself. They exchange pleasant chatter while Lance eats, and Lance realizes that he's warming up to these vampires pretty quickly. And honestly? He doesn't know how to feel about that.

◇◇◇

The next day, around 11 A.M., two cars roll up into the Carter-Marmora property. Lance, and his new friend, Ulaz, had taken over the kitchen and whipped up a buffet table of food for Keith's friends to enjoy. 

Allura, Hunk, and Romelle would come over around 11:30, and Ulaz literally has to drive Lance out of the kitchen to get him to go take a shower and make himself presentable.

 He's in and out the shower in five minutes tops, as he'd had the foresight to shave his legs the night before. He's anxious about making a good impression in front of Keith's friends, but he'll deny this till the day that he dies.

He dresses, picking out a pair of cargo shorts, his wrapped leather bracelet which contains a silver pendant of his family name and crest, and a fitted, navy blue button-up to accentuate his favorite features, that is, his blue eyes.

A once over in the mirror confirms that he looks good. He takes a brush and runs it through his unruly chestnut brown locks, hoping that they won't frizz.

Azula gives a small _meow_ behind him. He takes it as her approval.

"Ready to meet some strangers, _mi princesita?_ " He asks, picking her up.

Her tiny tongue licks him on the nose and he laughs, taking her with him.

◇◇◇

From what Keith told him about the house so far, the backyard is unfairly large, and Keith told him earlier that a few feet before the property line has an enclosed area, usually used as a private badminton court by Thace and Ulaz.

Lance won't lie; he's really impressed by that. Even though he's yet to see it himself, an E.R/trauma doctor and architect couple living together for a good few decades sounds as though it's yielded impressive financial results.

Azula decides to ditch him when one of the kitchen staff interrupts Lance's train of thought as she's accompanied by a few familiar faces. Hunk and Romelle and Allura. An excited gasp leaves his mouth and he exchanges greetings and embraces each of them in a big hug before he turns the knob on the door that would lead them into the backyard.

"Hey," Lance greets. 

Keith turns to face him. He's wearing a dark red v neck t-shirt and a black pair of cargo shorts (Lance would soon discover that dark colors were Keith's thing).

He doesn't wait for Allura to introduce herself. Instead, he walks up to the white-haired young woman, and bows lowly, kissing her hand.

Lance is in awe. From the books he's read about culture, he knows that when The Chosen One, or any shadow creature of a high social standing bows before the Altean Monarch/Patriarch, they are acknowledging that the Altean is of higher standing than them, which is one of the most respectful gestures to be bestowed upon anyone in the Shadow Realm.

"Your Highness," He says, softly, "A pleasure to formally meet you, Princess Allura."

There are two bright red patches on Allura's cheek as she says, "Oh. Oh, my. Please rise. It's just Allura now. I haven't been called by that title since.. well, it feels like since forever." 

Keith rises and smiles at her, gently.

"Well, you already know Allura," Lance says, "She's also the Blue Guardian Spirit of Water and Guardian of the Spirits of Altea. The big guy here is Hunk Garrett."

The man in question, who's big warm eyes are sparkling at the prospect of new friends, proudly states, "I'm the Werewolf Ambassador to the Alteans. Lance and I have been best friends since birth, and I'm the Yellow Guardian Spirit of Earth. Lance and I are Platonic."

"I'm Romelle Sommers," the blue-eyed blonde grins, "I'm the daughter of the last Chief General of the King of Altea. I'm supposed to be Allura's Guardian since we were raised together. Unfortunately, she can do an awesome job of defending herself, so we chose to become a bonded pair of Altean Warriors. I sure as hell can kick arse and take names, though."

"Welcome," Keith says to them, smiling, and Lance can see him make a mental note to talk to him about Hunk, "I'm glad to get to know you guys, especially since I'll be spending a lot of my time with Lance, and by extension, you now."

"Hey!" one of Keith's friends exclaim, "We resent that!"

"Chill," Keith laughs, "We Skype at least once a week."

"My name is Takashi Shirogane," one of Keith's tall, very attractive friends, with the hip to waist ratio of a Dorito, a fluff of white hair across his forehead, and a left arm full of tattoos, introduces himself, "But everyone calls me Shiro. I'm Kolivan's adopted son, and part ghoul. Keith is the younger brother I never had. Matt over there is my Platonic soulmate."

Ghouls were the second rarest creatures (after dhampirs) in the Shadow Realm and had two soulmates, like werewolves; one Platonic, and one Romantic. 

 _It's an interesting experience to meet another pair face to face,_ Lance thinks.

A man with bright amber eyes and shaggy, dirty blonde hair grins and gives a half-wave, "I'm Matt, and this is Ashlei Kaur, my partner."

Lance looks at the girl whose hand Matt's holding, and oh _wow_ , she's gorgeous. She has toffee-colored skin, fine black hair that flows down to her waist in waves, and perfectly arched brows that fall above almond shaped, intense, light grey eyes. She's petite but curvy, and only meets Matt's shoulder in height, even though she's wearing heeled boots. She grins, and Lance catches a glint of something white and sharp in her smile. _Okay, she's a freakin' vampire. No biggie._

"I'm also fae, unlike my witch of a sister," Matt grins.

Lance is pretty sure he's missing a joke, since Keith snickers. A tiny person identical to Matt in looks, but with longer hair and glasses, elbows him, and he wheezes. Shiro laughs.

The tiny person grins, "Well, you know Shay and I."

"Pidge? Shay?" Lance asks.

Pidge gives a joking salute and Shay waves, and Lance looks at Shay properly for the first time. She's is tall, has curly bobbed hair and skin a few shades darker than Lance. She's chubby and curved in all the right places and what draws attention to her is the large hoops that she wears, beautifully accentuating her large but delicate circular shaped face and features. Dhampirs, Lance read once, especially those who chose to remain human, were rough and brutish. Shay, however, seemed to be opposite; she has a spunky attitude, but not rude, and a gentle vibe. He can see Hunk's heart eyes already. 

Lance uses the few quiet seconds to observe his surroundings. The grass is short and well maintained, and Thace and Ulaz have a small flower garden growing along the sides of the wooden deck. Umbrella covered, custom-made round tables are set up on the deck, each table wide enough to hold around ten or twelve people. There's a pool and small shed a few feet away from the deck, and the rest of the area is pure grass, leaving enough space so that there's enough room for other games, like soccer.

Everyone goes to the buffet table and takes out their lunch, picking out the middle table to sit at. They all intermingle and idly chat with each other, and Lance is pleased to see them all getting along.

He voices this to Keith, who tells him, "Same. I'm glad that nobody started killing on site. Your friends are a fun addition to the group."

He can almost feel Keith's remaining annoyance from when he found out that Lance was Hunk's Platonic earlier.

"The reason why I didn't tell you about Hunk and I," Lance says quietly, picking at his food, "Is that I want you two to meet separately. Privately. I mean, you're both very important parts of my life, so. It wasn't my intention to keep it from you."

Keith sighs, "No, it's okay. I mean, we still barely even know each other, so I shouldn't expect you to tell me anything you're not comfortable with talking about just yet, you get that?"

"I do," Lance replies, biting his lip, "But it's a process, you know? Maybe next week we'll meet up."

"I'd like that," Keith grins.

◇◇◇

After lunch, Lance and Allura are goaded into training by Keith's friends. Lance and Allura stand, facing each other from opposite directions.

Lance stripped off his blue shirt, standing in a white muscle tee and his khakis from this morning. Allura, on the hand, wears a sports bra and shorts. They both have long, silver staffs in their hand and determination burning brightly in their eyes.

To Lance, training is like flying. He has freedom and liberty to do whatever he wants. He's always moving in time with the wind, ever as graceful, embracing its stinging kiss against his skin. 

Allura inhales before she attacks. Lance tracks her movement and swings his staff down, catching her blow. He quickly tilts the staff in an attempt to force it out of Allura's hand, but she pulls back. The staffs vibrate against each other due to the amount of force they're hitting with. She attacks again, but he parries her attack, a bit sloppily.

They go like this, back and forth, Lance knowing this, knowing Allura, knowing how to anticipate her. 

Allura is faster than him, yes, but he's more skinny and wiry than her. He's been training longer than her and is more flexible than her. 

So that's why the next time she comes at him, he's ready. Her feet are perfectly apart, the correct stance for her attack, and he tucks himself in, ducking under her staff, between her legs. As soon as he has some distance away from her, he gets into a kneeling position and uses his staff to uproot her from the ground. She falls with a loud squeak, but that doesn't deter her. 

Lance feels the chill in the air as she whispers lowly, " _glacies_ _sagittis._ "

"Allura!" He yelps as shiny, clear icicles shoot out from thin air, targeting the direction in which Allura waves her hand.

"S _cutum!_ " Allura calls, thrusting her hand forward. When she falls, a clear blue shield of ice wraps itself around her hand as Lance bends and points his staff above her heart.

"Cheater!" Lance yells, and Allura giggles. 

He shakes his head and extends his hands forward. She accepts, and he pulls her upright.

The rest of the persons in the room look at them, stupefied. Lance blushes, feeling Keith's eyes on him. 

 There's slow applause from Matt, Ashlei, and Shiro.

"Damn," the vampire girl says, "Y'all are good. No way in fresh hell am I fucking with Alteans in the future."

Everyone bursts out laughing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! <3
> 
> This took a long time because I was honestly blocked on this chapter, that's why it's a bit longer, sorry guys.
> 
> But hey! Guess who came up with a character and based their looks and personality on said character and made the same character Matt's gf because we basically got nothing from canon? Yep, this girl right here did that, lmao.
> 
> So please show Ashlei (and the chapter) some love with comments! I thrive on comments, my dudes! Prepare for Keith's pov next ;)


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